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18 Feb 2018 4:26:02pm

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A celebrated ancient story tells of a rabbi named Hilel telling fellow rabbis that he could explain "the whole of the law" standing on one leg. When challenged to do so, he stood on one leg and said "Don't do to others what you wouldn't like them to do to you. Everything else is commentary". That version of the 'Golden Rule' is better than "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" because, as George Bernard Shaw pointed out, they may not like you to treat them as you would like to be treated! I can think of several such situations, including a masochist inflicting pain on me, or someone demanding sex with me when I don't want it with them. I think the easiest way to really improve your life is to remove hostility from yourself. No need to go around trying to love everyone - just curb your hostile feelings. As Hugh Mackay suggests, exercise self-control in the best sense to achieve self-liberation from your destructive side. All things and people are connected, and to do good/bad to others is to do the same to yourself.

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